This study will investigate the effects of familial-level stressors on the health status, health care use, and mental health care utilization of children. Specifically, pediatric disabilities, maternal depression, and illnesses in other family members are hypothesized to act as major stressors that can have negative effects on children's health and functioning and are likely to be associated with increased use of medical and mental health care. Although clinical research has provided important insights into family influences on children's health and health care, more work is needed on the pervasiveness and consistency of these findings in community samples. Consequently, this study will explore the relationship of two major family stressors, childhood disability and maternal depression, on l) the health, behavioral health, and functioning among children and youth; 2) the utilization of health and mental health care among children and youth; and 3) the influence of maternal mental health treatment, respite care, and child care services on child health status. These questions will be addressed in a U.S. population sample using data from the 1994 National Health Interview Survey, Supplement on Disability (NHIS?D), an annual cross-sectional household questionnaire conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics. Approximately 20,000 children (ages 0-17) will be reported on in this analysis, of whom 3,200 are disabled, representing an estimated 10 million children and more than 1.5 million disabled children in the U.S., respectively. Biological mothers of the children were the respondents. This study can define for the first time the extent of the health and mental health problems and service needs of families that experience maternal depression and childhood disabilities along a gradient of family stressors in a U.S. population sample. Such information can be combined with clinical research to enhance the ecological validity and effectiveness of programs for families affected by childhood disability and/or adult mental disability. Clarifying the role that family stressors play in children's use of health care can help foster the appropriate use of the health and mental healthcare systems and reduce unnecessary suffering and expenditures.